


A Fixed Point

by novanglus



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Book 2: Earth, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-06-27 18:00:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19796116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/novanglus/pseuds/novanglus
Summary: One-shot set shortly after Season 2 episodes "The Chase" and "Bitter Work."  Zuko has some questions for Iroh after their fight with Azula and the avatar.  Or, Zuko learns that perhaps going it alone isn't always the best path.





	A Fixed Point

**Author's Note:**

> After rewatching season 2 recently, two moments struck me for an idea. In the Chase, Toph advises Iroh to tell Zuko that he needs him. I always hoped that behind the scenes Iroh took that bit of advice. After the fight occurs, Zuko and Iroh are a traveling duo again. Later, Zuko tells Jet in the episode "The Serpent's Pass" that he realized that being alone isn't always the best path. 
> 
> This story sprung up after thinking about those two points for way too long. Standard disclaimer that I do not own Avatar or its characters applies. Further disclaimer applies that I may or may not do them justice!

Though he would never to admit to his uncle, Zuko drew comfort in studying the night-sky.Granted, he missed the luxury of a bed, but the young prince preferred the evenings spent beneath the stars, secluded away from human sprawl.He had learned the constellations, their importance and how to navigate them during years spent at sea.

Early in his exile, he developed an appreciation for their constancy.On calm, cloudless nights he would admire the expanse of stars above him, when the steel walls of his cabin and the deckhouse proved too confining.On occasion, Iroh would catch him above decks and ask after his thoughts but Zuko remained quiet.He would even accept Uncle’s offer of tea to distract the old man.If he ever voiced such sentiments to his uncle, Iroh would undoubtedly quote some flighty haiku or a lofty proverb meant to impart wisdom Zuko could never decipher.Or, at worse, be moved to sing some long ballad.

And so it was, as he and his uncle made camp for the evening, that the young prince unfurled his bedroll and stretched out, observing the moon’s ascent in silence.He could make out the seven stars forming the Plough, standing bright against the other constellations.He followed along the handle, reaching the tip of the blade.South of this fell the one fixed point in the sky: the north star.At the moment, his view of it was obscured by drifting clouds.Still, out of habit, he managed to gravitate himself just in case he and Iroh were ever required to flee abruptly.

The weary pair had a found a copse of trees some ways off the main road to break for the night.They had not been followed; in fact, in this barren part of the Earth Kingdom, they had met few travelers.So much the better, Zuko thought fleetingly.

He and his uncle had fallen back into their routine and division of duties easily, as if their separation hadn’t occurred.While Zuko unpacked their kits, Iroh fed the long-suffering ostrich-horse and groomed the poor girl’s coat.With his typical frivolity, Iroh had nicknamed her Ginger long ago and Zuko never bothered to change it. 

The young prince prepared the ground for the bed rolls and fire pit, clearing the soil of brush and piling leaves for their pallets, packing the earth and lining the would-be pit with stones.By the time he had gathered the twigs and logs for tinder and kindling, Iroh had brushed Ginger and now set out his most precious objects: his tea set.

Though the days were hot and dry, the nights were cooler and the fire Zuko had prepared was necessary, after the sun descended.Now with his duties finished, he watched the emerging stars at his leisure.The wood crackled and snapped as the heat flared and Zuko turned toward the sound, watching as his uncle rifled through his supplies for the spare rice and salted fish that had been their dinner the past few nights.The young prince frowned as he noticed Iroh still favored his left arm and shoulder, keeping action restricted to smaller movements. 

Sighing, Zuko drew up beside Iroh, kneeling to grab the small lidded wok and stand.“Thank you, nephew,” Iroh murmured as he rose to his feet.

Zuko carefully placed the stand and wok on the fire as Iroh approached, cradling kettle and teapot.“Zuko, do you mind grabbing the rice?There it is—thank you.”

Zuko remained quiet, as Iroh hummed lightly while preparing their meagre supper.Pillowing his head behind clasped hands, he watched the old man with a sidelong glance.For the first time in days, the tension was lessening as they’d focused solely on putting distance between themselves and Azula, the avatar.The shock of those events—especially Iroh’s injury by his sister Azula’s hand—had faded but his frustration over his inferior bending still gnawed at him.

He was rankled by this man beside him, who could summon such power in his hands.Zuko recalled the moment Iroh created lightening only two days ago, parting energy in the air like a magician at a festival, his fingertips crackling with it as he guided the charge along his arms harmlessly into the sky. 

The old man’s actions had been slow, Zuko knew due to injury, but it gave the young prince an opportunity to study the movements in detail.The great flash that followed and its echoing thunder both awed him and left him eager to learn.

Thinking upon it, he was still humbled.He forgot, more often than he should, how powerful a bender Uncle was. And yet for all his wisdom and incredible skill, lessons were always the same: the old man would reveal just the surface of his knowledge and offer nothing further, no matter how urgently Zuko pressed his need to learn.Then would come the chastisement he was not ready, he was too impulsive—

Iroh suddenly chuckled, interrupting the prince’s swirling thoughts.“Zuko, I have forgotten the bowls in my haste.Do you mind indulging an old man…?”

Zuko looked at him with mock contempt.“You mean grabbing the tea and kettle was priority and now you’re too comfortable to move.”

“Well, how can I leave the rice unattended?It may overcook and be nothing more than mush!”

Zuko sighed, and rose from his pallet to fish through his uncle’s kit for the spare cutlery and bowls.From behind, he heard Iroh thank him as he returned to the warm circle of firelight.Iroh held out a weathered palm and Zuko handed the dishes over before settling back into his spot across Uncle. 

The old man rubbed at this shoulder absently, as the rice simmered in the covered pot.Despite their best efforts, the burn had become slightly inflamed and blistered.Since the White Jade Incident (as Zuko labeled it), Iroh had the sense to carry basic medical supplies including an herbal cream to treat wounds and burns and stave off infection.The scent of it never failed to remind the young prince of the days and weeks after the Agni Kai, his uncle diligently dressing and bandaging his burned face. 

Zuko quickly shifted his thoughts, his attention fortunately distracted by Iroh.Bending over the pot and sniffing appreciatively, the old man announced the dinner ready as he passed Zuko his share.

They ate in quiet, few words passing between them, and the familiarity so overwhelming to Zuko he could imagine they had never parted ways.But they had—and he had managed to scrape by hand-to-mouth until he had crossed paths with his sister and the avatar (partly by chance, partly by design).And it was then his uncle made his well-timed appearance too.

An appearance that Zuko welcomed in the midst of their fight.Relief swiftly turned to worry over his uncle’s significant burn and its treatment.Now, days later and with things calmer, Zuko had thought repeatedly on the coincidence of Iroh’s timing, the reasons of their past separation, and as always he wondered just what the hell was to come next.As always, he had more questions than solutions.At least now, his uncle perhaps could answer some of them.

“Uncle do you remember how your love of a nap got you caught by Earth Kingdom soldiers?”

The sudden question made Iroh blink and then he let out a snort.“I do—I’ve stayed away from hot springs since.”

“Yes, it seems you learned after that disaster.”

“It was certainly not my finest hour.What makes you think of it?”

“When I tracked the soldiers who had taken you, I remembered thinking how distinctive an ostrich-horse’s footprints are.And large.Keeping your trail was easier for it.”Iroh said nothing but met his nephew’s stare.“How long wereyou planning to follow me—at a distance, I guess—if Azula hadn’t shown up?”

The old man put aside his bowl carefully, balancing his chopsticks across the rim with unnecessary attention before speaking.“Zuko, the truth is I don’t know.And yes, I was tracking you.”Silence settled between them, as the young prince took in the bare admission.“You don’t have to travel with me now, if you feel there’s no benefit.”

Zuko frowned, averting his eyes away from his uncle’s direct gaze.The shadows the flickering campfire threw at Iroh pinched every line in his face, aging him.But, truly, Zuko could not stand the sadness that had crept in his eyes. 

There lay a choice at his feet.Uncle had always given him a choice, had respected his decisions—no matter how risky or unwise—and his ability to make them as a man.This was no different. 

He thought of the old man trailing him throughout the Earth Kingdom indefinitely as he wandered.Of the immense power at Iroh’s fingertips and what knowledge he had to give.He remembered his uncle’s prone form, unconscious after his sister’s strike.And he recalled nights like this with meals prepared by his uncle, quiet words and bad jokes over tea.

The silence had stretched for too long and Zuko struggled to speak beyond the sudden weight on his chest.He cleared his throat and found his voice was tight, breath short.“Azula has managed to find us this far into the Earth Kingdom, after all these months.She easily knocked me out and injured you.I would say we need to stick together, Uncle.”

“I think you are right. I won't deny that I need you, nephew.”

Zuko met his eyes then and found his uncle smiling, his lined gaze softened.“Drink your tea,” he said gently before the prince could speak.“As you said, it’ll calm the mind.”

His own words thrown back at him.The young prince protested with a sigh but obeyed, letting the tea cup hide his grin.It was still there, however, when he looked again at the old man.Iroh was powering through his meal with his usual zeal. 

“Where do you think we should go to next, Uncle?”

Iroh slurped his tea loudly, refilling his cup as he pondered the question.“I say we continue westward as we have been, but I glanced at the map earlier. There’s a significant trading outpost near the edge of the desert that would be useful for supplies.It’s perhaps another day of riding.What do you think?”

Zuko rose to grab the map from his kit and they studied it together, discussing their options as they finished their meals and the tea.They left their dishes for morning to clean.Zuko could tell the old man was tired and his burn was aching more than he let on.Or so he thought, as Iroh held himself stiffly when Zuko aided him in removing the soiled bandages.They had only two rolls’ worth and the act of swapping one for day and the other for night, washing and boiling them twice daily were taking a toll on their quality.

At last, they settled in their blankets and Zuko found himself lulled into slumber by the waning fire and the rhythmic chirping of mole-crickets.He woke abruptly sometime later.He wasn’t certain what had stirred him awake but there was the muffled sound of movement from Iroh’s bedroll.His own blanket was wrapped snugly around him, neatly up to his neck and tucked evenly round his feet. 

Very faintly, embers still glowed in the fire pit, though they should have long been ash.Smoke rose as if flames were freshly snuffed.Iroh snored suddenly, loud as a komodo-rhino stampeding in the jungle. 

“Good night, Uncle,” Zuko said pointedly though he received only another snore in reply.Zuko studied the night sky a final time, now cloudless and clear.He located the north star easily, fixed in place above he and his uncle.The young prince smiled briefly and fell back asleep, resting more peacefully than he had in months.


End file.
